The hero of my heart
by ChaoticDrakkon125
Summary: When you have killed and commited other sins in your life,is it possible for someone like that to even feel love? Let alone feel it for another person? This is the case for Mumkhar, a hom who turned his back on his own species. However,he soon meets a fellow hom who seems special in every way possible. But will she be able to free him from his sins? Can she be the Hero to his heart
1. Chapter 1

A loud boom of thunder could be heard as lightning arched itself across a sky as black as can be, while a torrent of rain came down in thick sheets, splashing onto the ground. Suddenly, the sound of grinding metal could be heard above the sounds of the storm. Sparks flew as the figures clashed in the relentless battle of strength and will.

"Must there be so many of them?" a voice yelled to herself as its sword met the enemy again with a clang. A bright flash of lightning lit up the source of the voice, a Homs that was wearing what resembles a Defense Force outfit and black hair reaching slightly above her shoulders, along with bright blue eyes. This Homs' name was Irene, or so her parents called her.

Another flash lit up a spider-like machine with a shiny exoskeleton. The machine known as a mechon had a small sword as one of its arms, which it used to fight back. Its scanners detected that there was significant damage to its hull. However much it wanted to retreat for repairs, its current programming made so that was not possible.

"I'm putting you in the scrap heap." Irene could be seen lunging for the mechon as she literally picked up speed as she went along. Like a corkscrew, Irene drilled through it as it trembled. It's injuries were just too much, and it collapsed. Irene raised her arm as if in triumph, but it was short lived, for more of the same type could be seen headed in that direction.

The mechon who was in the lead took a lunge for the closest thing nearby, which happened to be Irene, who raised her sword to meet the incoming onslaught. As the leader of the raid, this particular type of machine had a bigger sword than the last one did. It picked up that it's opponent was a formidable one indeed, but it still raised its sword all the same.

A loud growl started in Irene's chest as she countered and more sparks flew in the still night air as both swords collided. Irene swept her legs out and caught the mech in its knee joint, causing it to topple to the ground. She prepared to deal the finishing blow, but it rolled out of the way with surprising agility.

It rolled behind her and slashed her back, watching as she fell to her knees. It automatically located her vital spots and thrust its sword forward, hitting her side. Irene's pain-filled screams confirmed that it had hit it's mark as blood began to flow from the wound.

Irene's hand went to her wounds as she tried to stop the bleeding." I have to end this now, before it's too late." Darkness began to swim at the edges of her vision. Knowing that she was quickly losing blood she shakily glanced up as she heard the mechon move. It raised its sword to finish her off. "N- no... I can't die like this...it's just not possible." Her eyes screwed shut as she awaited death.

Then, there was a sound as if the mechon was short circuiting, followed by a loud crash. Irene started to open her eyes until they flew open in shock as she saw the mechon in a heap at her feet. She looked around for the one responsible as her eyes met dark brown ones that were staring right at her.

The man looked at her up and down. "You're lucky that I was here to save your hide, otherwise you would have been machine food!" he said. His eyes were drawn to her hand at her side that was obviously trying to stop bleeding. "So it managed to get you, did it?" There was a sneer in his voice.

Irene got slowly to her feet as she still kept her hand firmly against her side. She finally got a good look at her rescuer as she stared at him in curiosity. He wore a Defense Force outfit, similar to her own but it was still different in some ways. He had armor on top of his shirt and pants yet his arms weren't completely covered, and he also had shoulder plates that went about halfway down his arms. But his most notable feature were his steel claws, which had an oily fluid dripping down them.

Even though she was badly injured, Irene was still able to fight if she had to, keeping her eyes on the other hom. He may have rescued her from certain death, but that didn't mean that she should trust him until he revealed more about himself. She had bad experiences in the past with comrades betraying her, and she wasn't about to let that happen again. "And you are?" she managed to say.

"Ah, getting right down to business, are we? Very well, then. I'm Mumkhar." That was all he told her. He crossed his arms and stared at her intensely, noticing her stiff muscles right away. If he wasn't careful, he would have to fight her as well. His gaze traveled to her side. "You're gonna have to get that treated, mechon wounds can cause serious infection. I'm not going to have you dead on my watch, and I don't want to have a damn funeral arranged." His eyes were narrowed as he was trying to get his point across.

Irene started laughing, but it was cut off by a cough as she nodded her head. "You're a snappy one." She removed her hand to see that the wound was turning yellow, slowly tearing off part of her shirt and gingerly pressing it against the wound. She grit her teeth and hissed in pain as she tried to clean most of the blood, raising her head to look at Mumkhar. "I guess I might as well tell you my name since you were kind enough to tell me yours. I go by Irene."

He looked uninterested in what she had just told him as he proceeded to clean off his claws with a cloth. After a while, he noticed that she was silent as he slowly looked up with a grin on his face. "Now what's a soldier such as yourself doing out in this neck of the woods?" he asked curiously before heading off.

Irene looked up in shock as she realized that he was leaving. 'He's leaving so suddenly,' she thought, proceeding to stand. She grunted in pain as she finally made her way over to him. "If you must know, I was investigating claims of a disturbance," she replied as she turned her head to face him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he was still looking off into the distance.

"And I had to be the one to save you. You should consider yourself lucky that it was me who found you and not someone else. Now, enough chit chat. Let's get out of here before we attract more unwanted attention." He was already walking farther away and didn't look back. "And don't forget to keep up, I don't want to have to save your miserable hide twice in one day," he barked over his shoulder.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?! You better not mean anything by it or I'll-" She stopped talking as she realized that he wasn't even paying attention to her. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair.

'Oh boy. Why do I always have to get myself into situations like this?'

She ran to catch up with him, as she knew that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. Little did she know just how big and dangerous it would be.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of birdsong and the rustle of the wind in the trees was the only thing that could be heard, and two familiar faces could be seen as they made their way down the path. Irene suddenly collapsed onto her knees from the amount of pain when it became too much for her to bear.

Mumkhar looked over his shoulder. "What's the holdup? Your wound better not be bothering you!" He made his way back to her as his eyes scanned her side. "Told you it would get infected! Are you that dense not to listen to me?"

Irene looked up at him as pain could be seen in her eyes as she grit her teeth. "It's not about listening to you or not, it's about figuring out why I'm in this mess in the first place," she replied as she shakily got to her feet and turned to look at him. "Now let's go, shall we? We have wasted enough time hanging around here."

Laughter could be heard in his voice as he said, "A cocky one, aren't we? But like I said earlier, I don't want a dead body on my hands. You should consider yourself lucky that I even allow you in my presence at all!" He took a glance back at her and continued along the path. He had sustained some injuries himself, but he wasn't about to let her see that.

Irene glared at him. She started to limp after him as her gaze was traveling from side to side. Even though she had made it through the mechon attack, she wasn't about to let her guard down, especially when she was with a brute she didn't trust quite yet. She couldn't take it anymore and finally snapped," Hey, Mister Big Shot! Just who do you think you are? You may have claws, but you are all bark and no bite!"

Mumkhar stopped on the path ahead, muscles tensed in anger. In a flash, he had Irene held up by her shirt as he pointed one of his claws at her neck. "Say that again and I will put a hole in that pretty little neck of yours. I could have let you die back there, so shut your yap!" Anger could be seen brimming in his eyes as he held her firm. "Ugh, why am I the one that has to put up with you?" He sighed as he dropped her to the ground as he continued along the path like nothing had happened.

Irene looked at him with shock written on her face. She had almost met her end by the one who had just saved her earlier. It dawned on her that he was someone that you must definitely didn't want to cross."Fine, fine! I won't say it anymore. But it's still the truth." She mumbled the last part to herself and picked herself up, proceeding along the path.

"Pardon?" Mumkhar had slowed his pace but he was still walking. After a bit of her being quiet, he nodded to himself as he grinned." Good, that's what I thought," he said with a sneer and a bit of a chuckle. He once again stopped at a hill that had a tree overlooking it. "We'll rest here."

Irene glanced around as she very slowly settled herself on the grass next to the tree. She looked over at Mumkhar but shivered slightly inside with alarm. The way he was looking at her so intensely reminded her of how a predator would look at a piece of prey, clearly keeping a close eye on her. "Wh-what is it," she managed to ask him with a tremor in her voice.

Mumkhar chuckled to himself as he shakes his head. "Nothing... but answer me this: Why are you still traveling with me when I could kill you in a heartbeat like I almost did earlier?" As he awaited her answer, his eyes looked her over as he got a better look at her. He noticed right away that she had neglected to take care of her wound from earlier, and it was now inflamed and a bright red. "You obviously didn't listen to a word I said! Now your wound is infected thanks to your carelessness! I should leave you here to die for your stupidity."

Irene flinched back at the anger in his voice, unable to look him in the eyes. "Then why did you rescue me in the first place? You obviously don't care if I live or die, and you have made it as clear as day that you want nothing to do with me anyway. " She very slowly looked at him as she noticed another emotion behind all that anger. She couldn't exactly place it, but she knew that she had seen that emotion somewhere else, racking her brain for the answer.

Mumkhar narrowed his eyes as his gaze darkened. However, before he could answer her question, a set of footsteps could be heard. He automatically shot to his feet with his claws at the ready and scanned the area around them. "All right, come on out and show yourself! Don't make me come and get you," he snarled, shifting with anticipation. The snap of a twig was heard as a shadow was seen moving its way closer to them, but it was doing so cautiously. Without warning, Mumkhar let out a growl as he lunged forward. "Hell Dive Claw," he screamed as he plunged forward with his claws extended.

The shadow was apparently caught off-guard, for they staggered and then fell to the ground with Mumkhar on top of them. They had fallen into a clearing that was barren with almost no vegetation. They managed to get to their feet, finally speaking in a authoritarian tone. "Relax, Mumkhar." The shadow could now be clearly seen, but they had long, flowing brown hair and brown eyes to match. They wore appeared to be a white shirt with a red vest over it, and also had a cape going across their shoulders. They also wore brown pants with what seemed to be pieces of armor on the side and had calf high boots that had the tounge opened and up.

Mumkhar instantly lowered his guard as he got up and scrambled up in shock. "Dunban! What are you doing here?" He was looking almost scared as he realized what he had almost done. "You, my friend, are lucky that you weren't a Mechon! Otherwise, I would have messed up pretty bad!" Fear could be seen gleaming in his eyes as he raised his gaze to look at the other hom.

Dunban chuckled lightly as he replied, "I could ask you the same thing. It appears that you haven't lost your touch." His eyes suddenly shot to the edge of the clearing as he narrowed his eyes. "I can see you there, you know. Ah, and it looks like you're injured." He very slowly made his way over to her and nodded reassuringly with a soft smile. "It's an honor to meet a fellow soldier. I'm Dunban, but you already know that thanks to Mumkhar here."

Irene stared at him as he approached her, still holding her side tightly. "Oh, hello. My name is Irene. And yes, I was injured, but I try not to let it bother me. I was fortunate that Mumkhar saved me when he did, or I wouldn't be here right now." She walked over to him until she was standing in front of him, quickly gritting her teeth as a fresh wave of pain went through her.

Dunban's looked at her hand at her side and frowned. "Why haven't you gotten that seen to? It's badly infected... we need to get you medical attention. " He looked around once before he started to head off along the path as he looked back at her with concern. "Are you coming? I don't want you left behind while you are this bad off,"He asked as he finally went along the path again. He kept close to her, but all his offers to lend her support were declined.

Mumkhar sighed in defeat, having no choice but to follow them and running to catch up with the two. He set a brisk pace right behind them and kept flexing his claws. "Shit, Dunban... you're real blind with people if you can't see that there's something wrong. I'm not sure what, but I aim to find out what exactly it is." He would eventually discover that the truth would change him forever.


	3. Chapter 3

The Hero of my heart ( Chapter 3. )

The sun was setting, casting its golden rays across the landscape as the stars sparkled to life in the growing indigo sky. The sound of a owl could be heard in the distance and the night creatures rose to take their place among the living.

A sudden commotion was heard on the path below and Irene cried out and fell to her knees as a sudden blackness crowded her vision, and while a dizziness like any other consumed her. The world swam before her eyes and she had to lean on her hands for support after her body could no longer support itself. "Ugh, th - this is too much! I can't ... take it!" The pain increased from a dull ache to pure agony and she swayed where she was. She tried to rise to her feet but it was like her body was not her own, and it wouldn't cooperate with her no matter how much she pushed herself.

Mumkhar was still traveling with them even though the back of his mind it was screaming at him to leave her behind for the wildlife to finish off. He felt strange, simply put, and he didn't like it one bit, grinding his teeth in frustration and picking up his pace. However, he was quickly stopped as he realized that Irene's footsteps could no longer be heard behind him. He quickly turned around to see that she was on her side in the middle of the path and her breathing was labored. Making his way slowly back to her, he saw that her wound was now twice the size that it had been before, and it had started to yellow around the edges while the center was bright red. "Oi, Dunban! Get your ass back here. She needs your help and I ain't helping," he snapped.

A sigh could be heard and Dunban walked back to them both as worry could be seen on his face when he saw just how bad her wound was. "We must hurry," he said. "She doesn't have long before ..." He didn't want to suggest the last part or dwell on the worst case scenario. Without another word, Dunban propped his shoulder underneath her arm and helped her to her feet, still keeping his arm around her waist for support. "Come now, Mumkhar, I'm not leaving you behind either."

Mumkhar heard just how serious his voice was and that it was in fact an order. Dunban started off again but was walking much slower as he supported Irene like he was her own personal crutch. The almost unnoticeable quiver of his muscles could be seen as a sign that he was still formidable even though he was in a vulnerable state at the moment. Irene groaned as the sudden movement from Dunban sent a fresh wave of pain through her as she grit her teeth to keep herself from screaming out loud in pain.

"I hate this. Now I look like easy pickings! I never should have went out when there was such a bad omen as the storm itself …" Her words trailed off as the fever made her delusional. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to remember all her training from when she was younger, but it was all in vain as she snarled, "Why don't the heavens rain down on me now and put me out of my misery …" It suddenly dawned on her that she was making no sense now and must sound like a lunatic. "Great ... not only am I injured, but I'm loopy as well."

Dunban couldn't help but chuckle softly in spite of himself and could see the entrance to their final destination getting closer. "Come on, we're almost there," he called back encouragingly to Mumkhar as he sped up. Before long, he was directly in front of the entrance as he helped Irene over to a bench as he slowly lowered her down onto it. He then took off like a horde of mechon were on his tail as he arrived at a building, pounding on the door." Open the door, we have an emergency here!"

"Can't a guy get some sleep around here?" Someone hisses. Grumbling could be heard with the sound of thumping footsteps as the door flung open. In the doorway was a male Homs who was around eighteen years of age and had auburn hair that was spiky at the top, with brown eyes to match. He was dressed in his pajamas, his pant legs sliding along the floor. "Oh, Dunban, it's you! Well, you better have a good reason for waking me up at this time of day ... " He finally noticed the urgency and concern on his friend's face. "What's up?"

Dunban finally stopped tapping his foot as he let out the breath that he didn't realize that he was holding."There's someone who's heavily injured and needs help immediately. Now, are you just going to stand there or are you going to go get help? I need to stay here and keep an eye on her." Without waiting to see if his request was obeyed or not, he quickly turned around and made his way back to Mumkhar as he leaned against the wall that was close to them. Laughter could be heard as Mumkhar stopped his pacing and looked at him.

"Still acting like the big shot, eh, Dunban?" he snickered, eyes gleaming with mischievous intent. He quickly took a seat on the edge of a bench, but it was as far away from Irene as he could get, crossing his arms in front of him and pretending to look important. "Please tell me that you managed to get someone here who knows what they are doing so that way we can be rid of her?" He knew that the answer wouldn't be that simple from his own past experiences. Dunban briefly narrowed his eyes, causing Mumkhar to growl softly as he stood up, "Oh, I get it. You're probably hiding something from me. But knowing you, I shouldn't even bother asking what it is."

A gasp could be heard that was filled with worry and horror as Reyn made his way over to the group. "The mechon again?" Reyn exclaims. "At least she was able to beat them back. Those stupid pieces of ... of metal!" He rubbed the back of his head and slowly calmed himself down as he walked up to the bench Irene was on. " Well, welcome to Colony Nine. Sorry that you had to visit us like this in your current condition, but it's really great to meet you. I'm Reyn." He looked faintly embarrassed and grinned.

Dunban went over to him and lightly nudged him out of the way as he shook his head. "Enough. We don't want her feeling crowded."

They saw the doctor running over and picking Irene up an she was rushed to the emergency medical center as treatment was started right away. The noises of the other doctors could be heard and they were issuing one command after another. After what felt like forever, the doctor poked his head out and nodded to them. "It's safe to come in, but try not to be too loud." The doctor withdrew inside and Dunban stood up to make his way inside.

Reyn was next to get up and managed to smile in relief as he saw Irene resting on a bed, though her side was tightly wrapped in a large bandage. "Thank the Bionis that we made it in time. I would honestly like to put every single one of those scrap for brains in the scrap heap. If we don't stop them now, more people will die!" His anger surfaced again and he made his hands into fists and he clenched them so hard that they were starting to turn white. He sighed in defeat because no one seemed to be listening at all."All right, all right ... I know, wrong time. But we still need to do something."

Mumkhar was reluctant at first but after much arguing with himself, he finally got up and made his way inside next and he immediately noticed that she looked as if she was in pain while she was sleeping. "Reyn, you idiot. They'd destroy you. And I most certainly won't be carrying or helping you for that matter if you get injured! She was merely something that tagged along behind until I could get rid of her.," Much to the doctor's dismay, he was practically shouting now, and he wasn't finished yet. "I'd rather travel with a mechon then a slug like her! You must be dumber then I take you for if you honestly think that I would intentionally be traveling with that maggot!"

"Hey, no need to get all up in arms," Reyn barked.

"I heard that we have a visitor. Is this her?" a feminine voice spoke up. Someone else had entered. It was a female Homs who was the same age as Reyn, and had blonde hair and green eyes. She had a brown choker necklace on that had a pink pendant hanging from it, and was wearing a white tank top on with threads going across the front of it. Her sleeves started at her armpits and went down to about the top of her hands, which were folded over her orange-red skirt, several buckles crisscrossing in the front. A couple of the buckles were concealed and went down to her thigh-high brown socks, tucked into white boots. "Hey, Shulk, come and see who's here."

"Yes, Fiora? What is it?" they replied.

Another Homs of the same age with short, shaggy blond hair and blue eyes arrived. He had on a brown shirt that had wavy purple lines near the wrist and had red and white edging at the end of the sleeves and also had the same thing on the stomach as well. He had a red vest on over his shirt that had the collar spread out and a metallic zipper that was half-way open. He had shorts with brown and red tribal markings on them and bits of metal here and there. The rims also had metal around them. For his footwear, he had brown steel-toed boots that were open on the top. His sounded friendly and kind, like the one named Fiora.

"So we do have a visitor. I thought it was something else ... "

Dunban smiled as he started to leave and stopped in the doorway. "Sorry to cut it short, but it's getting late and she needs her rest. We shall visit again in the morning," The last bit was said as he returned outside. He stared at the stars and was thinking about how interesting the day had been while rolling his shoulder." She's different, that's for sure ... almost like Mumkhar, in a way." His tone had a thoughtful note to it as he made his way towards home.

It had to have been past midnight when Irene got herself out of bed and began sleep walking out of her bed, holding her sides, She fumbled for her weapon and headed towards the animalistic sound of growling. She suddenly attacked the source, which suddenly turned into screams of pain as she felt a sticky liquid covering her; her eyes shot open and she saw that it wasn't a monster, but a Homs. She ripped her gauntlets off of her shaky hands and steadily backed away, shaking her head. "Oh no, no, no ... what have I done?"

Mumkhar had been sleeping peacefully, but he must have only been half asleep because once the odd noises had started he was automatically out of the barracks with his claws at the ready. The only sight that caught his eye was that he saw that Irene was moving around sluggishly in the open.

"What could she be up to this time of night?" he asked himself as he kept to the shadows. A terrified screech sounded in the quiet air and he ran forward to see what had happened to warrant such a reaction. What greeted him when he got there was something that he had never imagined happening. He instantly noticed the Homs laying injured on the ground, but then he saw Irene with the evidence imprinted on her like a sore thumb. In that moment, he knew that she had done it - and that she couldn't be trusted. His eyes were blazing with rage. "You! You attacked the people who were kind enough to take you in! I should crush you like the bug you are right here and now."

Irene hadn't heard his stealthy approach beforehand, too focused on what had happened in front of her. What she had caused to happen. It was like she was in a different world as she tried to take in everything. It all came back to her like a wave crashing down and swallowing her whole. She finally turned around. "Mumkhar, I ... " Her voice was breathless as she saw the look in his eyes. The world seemed to slow down as he lunged for her, and she knew right then that the person who had saved her from her demise was now going to finish what the mechon had started.


End file.
